Strawberry tray

ABSTRACT

A shipping tray fashioned from a unitary blank of corrugated paperboard or the like and which is particularly adapted for the packaging of strawberries. The tray is provided with a separable longitudinal divider, also fashioned from a unitary blank of corrugated paperboard. The end structures of the tray are so formed that each tray end presents a slanting surface, with the divider panel also exhibiting a pair of opposed slanting surfaces. The slant of all of these surfaces fairly conforms to the slant of a conventional strawberry tray, to thereby minimize looseness of the strawberry trays in the tray of this invention. The divider panel, not being integral with the tray, need not be used. However, if used, the divider is easily inserted and taken out manually. Upstanding tabs at the tray ends are adapted to be received and fit into complementary recesses in the tray bottom, so as to thereby assist in aligning the trays when they are vertically stacked.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a shipping tray fashioned from corrugatedpaperboard or other stiff, foldable, and resilient sheet material andwhich displays particular utility for packaging of boxes ofstrawberries, the boxes having slanting sidewalls.

The packaging art is aware of trays for shipping a variety of items,such as fruit. Such trays are often formed of a unitary blank ofcorrugated paperboard or the like, and may also be provided with eitheran integral or a separate divider panel for separating the interior ofthe tray into two sections. Examples of such known constructions areshown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,048,318 issued to Sabin and U.S. Pat. No.3,055,572 issued to Crane.

While apparently satisfactory for their intended uses, these twoconstructions, as well as other known constructions do not yield theadvantages of the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the practice of this invention a collapsible tray isfashioned from a unitary blank of corrugated paperboard or the like, theblank being provided with suitable fold or score lines and tabs and tabrecesses to provide a tray when erected. Further, a separate dividerpanel, longitudinally dividing the tray interior into two sections, isfashioned from a second unitary blank of corrugated board and may bemanually placed into the tray after the tray has been fully erected,with the divider having ends which fit into complimentary recesses onopposite end portions of the tray interior. The divider panel, as wellas the interior opposite ends of the tray, are both slanted so as tofairly conform to the slant of conventional strawberry boxes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a unitary blank of corrugated paperboard or thelike for forming the tray of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a unitary blank of corrugated paperboard forforming the divider for the tray of this invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating an intermediate stage in theformation of the tray of this invention from the blanks of FIGS. 1 and2.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 and shows the completed strawberrytray of this invention.

FIG. 5 is a view taken along section 5--5 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a view taken along section 6--6 of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a unitary blank 10, typicallyfashioned of corrugated paperboard, is provided with a plurality ofhorizontally and vertically extending score lines, the terms verticallyand horizontally being used in their relation to horizontally extendinglongitudinal axis 12 of the blank. A bottom forming panel is designatedas 14 and is provided at its upper and lower portions respectively witha pair of spaced apertures 15. Each of a pair of upper surface panels 16is foldably secured on its left edge to a side wall panel 20 by means ofthe indicated vertical fold lines. Side wall 20 is provided at its rightfree edge portion with a cut out or recess 21 and is foldably secured topanel 14 at its left edge. The right hand portion of upper surfacepanels 16 are each foldably secured to a second side wall panel 24, thelatter having a recess 25 along its left edge, complimentary to recess21 of panel 20. Side wall panel 24 is provided along its right free edgewith a plurality of recesses 26, one of which is bisected by horizontalaxis 12 of the blank.

Left hand edge of bottom forming panel 14 is provided with a glue flap18, flap 18 and bottom forming panel 14 being joined through theindicated vertically extending fold line. Each upper and lower edge ofbottom panel 14 is provided with respective first end wall formingpanels 32, foldably secured through the indicated horizontally extendingfold lines. Additional and second end wall panels 34 are provided atrespective upper and lower ends of panel 20 through the indicatedhorizontally extending fold lines, while additional and third end wallforming panels 30 are provided along respective edges of upper and lowerpanels 16. Similarly, additional end wall forming panels 36 are providedat respective upper and lower ends of side wall panel 24, joined theretoby respective horizontal fold or score lines.

Each upper panel 16 is provided with a pair of spaced fold lines 60,separated by a tab forming cut line 58, and having cut lines 61separating a respective end abutment panel 44 from each panel 16. Thus,each end abutment panel 44 is secured to its respective panel 16 only bya pair of spaced fold lines 60, with the remainder of their adjacentedges being separated by cut lines 58 and 61. A triangular opening 46 isprovided centrally of each end abutment panel 44, with a lower portionof each panel 44 (referring to the uppermost panel 44 shown at FIG. 1)provided with a pair of spaced cut lines 52 for the purpose of formingtabs, a pair of outermost fold lines 56 and a single central perforatedline 54 which will serve as a fold line. The lower portion of each panel44 (again referring to the uppermost panel 44 of FIG. 1) is providedwith a section 48, the latter centrally provided with a recess 50. Eachpanel 48 is secured to its respective panel 44 by folds 54 and 56. Ventopenings 40 are provided in panels 14, 20, and 24. It will be seen fromFIG. 1 that upper panel 44 is mirror symmetrical with respect to lowerpanel 44 about axis 12.

Referring now to FIG. 2 of the drawings, a unitary blank 57 for forminga divider panel is illustrated, the blank typically fashioned fromcorrugated paperboard. A pair of slightly spaced central fold lines 66run from the upper to lower edges of blank 58, to thereby define twoblank panels 64. A plurality of vent openings 70 is provided at eachpanel 64, with each panel 64 having at its upper and lower edges tabs 72for insertion into respective openings 46 of respective panels 44.

Referring now to FIG. 3 of the drawings, an intermediate stage in theformation of the tray of this invention is illustrated. The blank ofFIG. 1 has been folded and glued to form a tray having a bottom 14, sidewalls 20 and 24, and composite end wall structures. Tabs 52 (defined bycut lines 52) of each panel 44 are received in complementary bottompanel openings 15. Flap 18 is glued to the lower interior portion ofside wall 24. FIG. 4 shows the final stage in the formation of the tray,with the panel 44 nearest the reader of FIG. 3 having been folded downand its tabs 52 also inserted into respective recesses 15 in bottompanel 14. In FIG. 4, the ends of divider 58 have been inserted intorespective recesses 46, so that respective pairs of tabs 72 at eachdivider end fit into a respective recess 46.

FIGS. 5 and 6 further illustrate the tray construction, with FIG. 5showing that outermost end panel 30 is glued over innermost end panel 32(at each end) by means of an adhesive denoted at FIG. 5 by 31. It isseen that each end panel 44 slants, so as to approximate the slant of aconventional strawberry tray. It will be further observed that thelongitudinally extending divider 58 has its two panels 64 also tilting,so as to approximate the tilt of a conventional strawberry tray. Panels36 and 34 are glued to respective ends of innermost end panels 32, asseen both at FIGS. 5 and 6. Thus, in FIG. 6, panel 44 is in front ofpanels 34 and 36 and hence are not seen. The mode of inserting thelongitudinally extending divider panel is, typically, manually, with theconstruction being such that there is a fairly loose fit of tabs 72 intorespective openings 46. The natural resiliency of the corrugatedpaperboard from which the divider is formed maintains the triangularcross section of the divider, shown at FIG. 6, with panels 64 beingresiliently urged apart.

FIG. 5 illustrates an upstanding tab at each tray end formed from cuts58, also designated as 58. Tabs 58 are each adapted to engage arespective recess 41 in the bottom panel whenever two or more of thetrays are vertically stacked, so as to assure vertical alignment of thetrays.

We claim:
 1. A tray formed from a unitary blank of stiff, foldable andresilient sheet material, the tray having an interior, the tray having ahorizontal bottom wall, two vertical side walls, two vertical plural plyend walls, and end wall abutment panels each spaced from a respectiveone of said plural ply end walls, each of said end wall abutment panelsprovided with an opening having two edges, an upper wall at each end ofsaid tray to thereby define two longitudinally spaced upper walls, and adivider extending from one said end abutment panel to the other end wallabutment panel and dividing said tray interior into two portions, saiddivider including two divider panels integrally joined together alongcommon edges, each of said divider panels having ends, said dividerfashioned of stiff, foldable, and resilient sheet material, said dividerpanels having tongues at their ends which fit into respective saidopenings of said end abutment panels, the resiliency of said dividerurging said divider tongues against respective said edges of saidopenings in said end wall abutment panels to produce slanted dividersides.
 2. The tray of claim 1 wherein each of said end wall abutmentpanels carries at least one tab at a lower edge thereof, each said tabfitting into a respective recess in said bottom wall, and wherein saidend abutment panels each carry an upwardly projecting alignment tab. 3.The tray of claim 1 wherein said end wall abutment panels are slanted ina downwardly converging manner relative to each other, and wherein saidedges of each of each said openings of said end wall abutment panels aredownwardly diverging.
 4. A unitary blank of corrugated paperboard, saidblank having a central horizontal axis and being generally rectangular,the blank including a bottom forming panel, a first side wall formingpanel, a pair of upper wall forming panels, and a second side wallforming panel, each said upper wall forming panel foldably connected toan end wall abutment panel having a foldable flap remote from a foldableconnection between said end wall abutment panel and said upper wallforming panel, each said end wall abutment panel having an openingtherein, wherein each said end wall abutment panel opening is generallytriangular, and wherein each said generally triangular opening has alongitudinal axis generally at right angles to said horizontal axis ofthe blank.